Accordin tae local tradeetion the toun grew up aroond the dwellin an tomb o a holy man, Sheikh Salei, an developit frae aroond the mid-15t century intae a substantial centre o the export trade in coffee. Bi the end o the 18t century it wis a wawed an well-fortifee'd toun. It was unner the direction o the Emir Farhan when an expedition frae Denmark visitit the ceety an describit their reception.[1]

Frae aboot 1800 onwairds Al Luḩayyah was a pairt o the Ottoman Empire, an in 1912 suffered damage durin a dispute atween Turkey an Italy.[2] It wis captured in 1918 in a joint attack bi the Breetish Navy an forces lyal tae the Idrisi rulers o Asir,[3] unner whose control it remained till 1925 when it again came unner Yemeni authority. It wis seisit in ware 1934 bi the Saudis, who returned it housomeivver in the same year unner the Treaty o Al-Ta'if.[4]

The toun wis umwhile a tradin centre o significance but haes declined in the last twa centuries, especially as seaborne traffec haes muivit tae more modern facilities at Ahmadi, the port o Al Hudaydah. The population is estimatit at unner 3,000.[5]

↑Travels through Arabia and other countries in the East: performed by M. Niebuhr...translated into English by Robert Heron (Edinburgh, 1792)

↑The Times, Wednesday, Jan 17, 1912; pg. 5; Issue 39797; col C :‘The Italian Naval Victory:..the Italian cruisers Puglia and Calabria razed the fortifications at Kunfuda, Loheia, and Midy,...’ According to the New York Times though ‘...the Italians...on January 5 poured a hail of shells into the military camp. The Turks, however, suffered very few casualties, and no damage was done to the houses in the town.’ New York Times, 16 January 1912.